Celtics center Kevin Garnett never said a word to him during the Cavs' 95-90 victory.

"He didn't say anything to me that I remember," Zeller said. "I guess he didn't think I was good enough to trash talk."

Maybe Garnett didn't want to mess with what was working. Zeller missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted en route to his meager six-point effort. He fouled out with 1 minute, 33 seconds remaining.

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The rookie center did leave his impression on the game. He pulled down 10 rebounds -- he's averaging 11 in his last three games -- and blocked three shots. One ejection came on a drive down the lane by Celtics forward Paul Pierce.

The 7-foot, 250-pound Zeller has been on a tear blocking shots. He's swatted 12 shots in his last four games.

Ready or not, he'll be the Cavs' starting center for the rest of the season. Anderson Varejao is sidelined for the second half after developing a blood clot in his lung.

The 23-year-old Zeller is averaging 8.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 1.1 blocks. His field-goal percentage has dipped to 41.3 percent. On the bright side, his free-throw percentage has beefed up to a respectable 74.7 percent.

He said facing an All-Star like Garnett for the second time this season was valuable.

"When I was playing on that second team, you have a bunch of guys that aren't as talented as that," Zeller said. "He's got a go-to move you can never get to.

"You have to learn how to guard him. You have to try to make him uncomfortable. At the same time, you have to accept he's going to score once in a while. He's a great player and you have to give him credit for that."

The 6-11, 253-pound Garnett had 16 points, five rebounds and a game-high five blocks.

Zeller said he's well aware that he has to put on bulk, strength and some weight for next year.

"I've always had issues with having too little body fat," he said. "I've always needed to put on more weight."

He said eating more cheeseburgers is not the answer.

Zeller said the NBA is head and shoulders more physical than the college game.

"There are a lot of things that take strength," he said. "You can pretty much get away with anything you want rebounding, assuming you don't get called for it. If you push someone, you'll get called for it. You can grab. It's a lot more physical. You have to learn what the refs will allow you to do."

Coach Byron Scott can almost come up with a laundry list of things Zeller needs to improve.

"Two things he has to improve on this summer are upper-body strength and flexibility in his lower body," Scott said. "I think that's going to really help him. He plays the game straight up a lot of times, but he's getting better as far as getting a little bit lower.

"His mid-range game, his shooting for a big man, I think that's going to continue to get better and better. (He's an) excellent decision-maker, makes pretty good passes. He makes mistakes. He's pretty hard on himself."

Scott said he can't complain about Zeller's toughness.

"He's getting a little bit more aggressive and physical down there, which is what you have to do in this league against some of these big guys," he said. "I'm very happy with him and what he's done. He's going to start the next 40 games. He's going to continue to get that added experience that's going to make him better the rest of this year and going into next year."

Quick shots

-- The three players acquired by the Cavs in the deal with Memphis were at the practice facility, but didn't practice. Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby were going through the physical process. The Cavs hope to have them ready for practice on Thursday. Scott said the biggest thing for them to learn is the Cavs' defensive terminology.

"With Mo, it's pretty simple as far as pick-and-roll," Scott said. "He can set screens and do what we want him to do, the spots he needs to be at. With Wayne, it's the same thing. It's learning a couple things and really just spacing. Other than that I don't think it's going to be that difficult offensively."

-- The trio will likely be available to play on Friday vs. Milwaukee. "(One practice is) not enough to get the up to speed, but it doesn't mean they can't play," Scott said.

-- Cavs are in midst of playing 10 of their next 12 games at The Q. "We have to up the ante playing at home," Scott said. The Cavs are just 5-12 at home this season.